Editor reviews

Average editor rating from: 2 user(s)

The colour is almost perfectly clear but has a slight yellow tinge. The aroma is minty, grapey, and sweet-smelling. Anise is a bit acrid.

With water it clouds up very fast, becoming nearly opaque. Milky white with blue and grey texture, slightly chalky. The minty aroma is now full-blown peppermint. Powder and anise in support roles. Still sweet but with wormwood peeking through.

This absinthe is very sweet with significant, minty cooling on the tongue. Star anise is evident but it doesn't bother me like it does in some other absinthes. The wormwood is present but subdued. Chamomile and lemon. Thick mouthfeel but very refreshing, as though an absinthe has been made from combining Sleepytime and peppermint herbal teas. The traditional absinthe flavour is there but it sits beneath all the inventiveness.

The finish is overly numbing and dominated by the herbal tea flavours as opposed to the absinthe herbs. Citrusy, fading to soft powder.

It's definitely an odd one (although I have had a couple of absinthes that bore some similarites) but I like it a lot. It would be improved with the round, fruity flavour of green anise instead of the numbing acridness of star anise, but it's nonetheless one of the better oddities I've had.

Cool and refreshing.

The colour is almost perfectly clear but has a slight yellow tinge. The aroma is minty, grapey, and sweet-smelling. Anise is a bit acrid.

With water it clouds up very fast, becoming nearly opaque. Milky white with blue and grey texture, slightly chalky. The minty aroma is now full-blown peppermint. Powder and anise in support roles. Still sweet but with wormwood peeking through.

This absinthe is very sweet with significant, minty cooling on the tongue. Star anise is evident but it doesn't bother me like it does in some other absinthes. The wormwood is present but subdued. Chamomile and lemon. Thick mouthfeel but very refreshing, as though an absinthe has been made from combining Sleepytime and peppermint herbal teas. The traditional absinthe flavour is there but it sits beneath all the inventiveness.

The finish is overly numbing and dominated by the herbal tea flavours as opposed to the absinthe herbs. Citrusy, fading to soft powder.

It's definitely an odd one (although I have had a couple of absinthes that bore some similarites) but I like it a lot. It would be improved with the round, fruity flavour of green anise instead of the numbing acridness of star anise, but it's nonetheless one of the better oddities I've had.

Aroma: before water, there seems to be quite a bit of cinnamon and spice, but that might actually be part of the base spirit as opposed to any spices they may have added. The star anise is quite pungent. After water, it becomes more citrussy and floral with almost a dairy-like silkiness. The honey distillate base is quite obvious.

Louche: Literally begins the moment the first drop of water hits. Still quite thick at 3:1m which is suprising for its alcohol content. It's attractive, but I'd actually penalize it for the quickness and thickness of the louche. Obviously the star anise plays a big part here.

Flavor: Surprisingly light. You've definitely got the star anise there, but you also have some 'rooty' qualities like with Gentiane, as well as a menthol-like cooling sensation which follows the wormwood's dryness (which is present, but light). It's quirky, but tasty and refreshing. There is a hint of sweetness from the mead as well. I do miss the green anise though, which I think would work better than the star. At 3.5:1, the anise gets toned down a lot and you're left with the vegetal and citrus hints along with the cooling.

Finish: Here's where you definitely feel the cooling sensation, along with hyssop and some citrus. Quite complex.

Overall: Overall, this is an enjoyable beverage. It's definitely not your traditional absinthe profile, so it's going to have its detractors. I like it better than the St. George though. It's not on the same level as something like CLB, but it's enjoyable. I don't know if I like the menthol sensation, so I'd be hard pressed to buy a bottle. But if it were made available to me, I'd happily accept a glass.

Quirky and unusual, but enjoyable

Color: absolutely clear

Aroma: before water, there seems to be quite a bit of cinnamon and spice, but that might actually be part of the base spirit as opposed to any spices they may have added. The star anise is quite pungent. After water, it becomes more citrussy and floral with almost a dairy-like silkiness. The honey distillate base is quite obvious.

Louche: Literally begins the moment the first drop of water hits. Still quite thick at 3:1m which is suprising for its alcohol content. It's attractive, but I'd actually penalize it for the quickness and thickness of the louche. Obviously the star anise plays a big part here.

Flavor: Surprisingly light. You've definitely got the star anise there, but you also have some 'rooty' qualities like with Gentiane, as well as a menthol-like cooling sensation which follows the wormwood's dryness (which is present, but light). It's quirky, but tasty and refreshing. There is a hint of sweetness from the mead as well. I do miss the green anise though, which I think would work better than the star. At 3.5:1, the anise gets toned down a lot and you're left with the vegetal and citrus hints along with the cooling.

Finish: Here's where you definitely feel the cooling sensation, along with hyssop and some citrus. Quite complex.

Overall: Overall, this is an enjoyable beverage. It's definitely not your traditional absinthe profile, so it's going to have its detractors. I like it better than the St. George though. It's not on the same level as something like CLB, but it's enjoyable. I don't know if I like the menthol sensation, so I'd be hard pressed to buy a bottle. But if it were made available to me, I'd happily accept a glass.

Louche: spectacular trails and a heavy, thick fog that rolls and tosses in the glass. Very nice, if a bit thick.

Aroma: unusual, to say the least. It had a familiar smell that took me awhile to place, but I eventually remembered a product we had as children that came in a toothpaste-like tube. We would squeeze out a blob of it on the end of a red plastic straw, then blow through the straw to make rubbery bubbles. This absinthe smelled almost exactly like that stuff. Not unpleasant, but not what I'd think absinthe should smell like.

Flavor: some menthol, some spiciness, a hint of honey, the tiniest hints of the trinity, a touch of mint. It's interesting and refreshing, but it's a long way from absinthe. In fact, I'd suggest this brand to friends who claim they don't like absinthe because of the anise flavor. This one has very little of it.

Finish: nothing spectacular, but nothing wrong with it, either

Overall: I went right down the middle with a three because while it's quite tasty and I do enjoy drinking it, it's so far removed from what I like about absinthe that if I'm in the mood for absinthe, this one won't even come to mind.

A fine drink, but a substandard absinthe

Appearance: bright and clear, no sediment

Louche: spectacular trails and a heavy, thick fog that rolls and tosses in the glass. Very nice, if a bit thick.

Aroma: unusual, to say the least. It had a familiar smell that took me awhile to place, but I eventually remembered a product we had as children that came in a toothpaste-like tube. We would squeeze out a blob of it on the end of a red plastic straw, then blow through the straw to make rubbery bubbles. This absinthe smelled almost exactly like that stuff. Not unpleasant, but not what I'd think absinthe should smell like.

Flavor: some menthol, some spiciness, a hint of honey, the tiniest hints of the trinity, a touch of mint. It's interesting and refreshing, but it's a long way from absinthe. In fact, I'd suggest this brand to friends who claim they don't like absinthe because of the anise flavor. This one has very little of it.

Finish: nothing spectacular, but nothing wrong with it, either

Overall: I went right down the middle with a three because while it's quite tasty and I do enjoy drinking it, it's so far removed from what I like about absinthe that if I'm in the mood for absinthe, this one won't even come to mind.

Louche: Holy milky thickness Batman! It is hued at the edges but this is an overly strong louche.

Aroma: A bit strange with come odd notes of cucumber, licorice, anise, camphor, mint, and some other unusual smells.

Flavor: Very licorice root tasting that is also sticky and mentholated. Strong on the cool mint as well. The tastes denote good craft in distilling, so that's not the issue. But the recipe is way off base. It's unusual as all hell.

Finish: Sweetens up as well as the mint becoming more pronounced. The flavor rounds out and improves a bit.

Overall: Well crafted but freakishly unusual. I can usually tolerate a lot of weirdness but this is too far for me to consider absinthe. If this was redone with the same herbs and a stronger influence from the absinthe trinity of wormwood, fennel, and anise I'd probably be more of a fan.

I'm left confused by this one.

Louche: Holy milky thickness Batman! It is hued at the edges but this is an overly strong louche.

Aroma: A bit strange with come odd notes of cucumber, licorice, anise, camphor, mint, and some other unusual smells.

Flavor: Very licorice root tasting that is also sticky and mentholated. Strong on the cool mint as well. The tastes denote good craft in distilling, so that's not the issue. But the recipe is way off base. It's unusual as all hell.

Finish: Sweetens up as well as the mint becoming more pronounced. The flavor rounds out and improves a bit.

Overall: Well crafted but freakishly unusual. I can usually tolerate a lot of weirdness but this is too far for me to consider absinthe. If this was redone with the same herbs and a stronger influence from the absinthe trinity of wormwood, fennel, and anise I'd probably be more of a fan.

Louche: Milky and thick. Pretty plain in the color...there isn't much iridescence here.

Aroma: There's a lot of mint, along with a very floral, perfumed scent, and something that reminds me strongly of cucumber.

Flavor: It's FULL of flavor, it's just not a great flavor. Definitely not an absinthe flavor, and I'm not a fan of whatever it is. It's very chilling, and not very smooth, with a fairly flat, floral, perfumey freshness. There is some hint of licorice here...but almost more along the lines of licorice root or star anise, but it's subtle.

Finish: The burning perfume flavors recede into a minty feel that lasts for a little while.

Overall: I do not care much for this one. It seems to be a quality distillation, but doesn't have much along the lines of what I would consider to be absinthe.

A departure on traditional absinthe

Louche: Milky and thick. Pretty plain in the color...there isn't much iridescence here.

Aroma: There's a lot of mint, along with a very floral, perfumed scent, and something that reminds me strongly of cucumber.

Flavor: It's FULL of flavor, it's just not a great flavor. Definitely not an absinthe flavor, and I'm not a fan of whatever it is. It's very chilling, and not very smooth, with a fairly flat, floral, perfumey freshness. There is some hint of licorice here...but almost more along the lines of licorice root or star anise, but it's subtle.

Finish: The burning perfume flavors recede into a minty feel that lasts for a little while.

Overall: I do not care much for this one. It seems to be a quality distillation, but doesn't have much along the lines of what I would consider to be absinthe.

Sampled at 3:1, 4:1 and 4.5:1, where I found it most drinkable. No sugar.

Color: A very faint yellow hue. It is almost clear, and looks natural.

Louche: It develops quite quickly, and is fairly thick. At 4.5:1 however, it looked appropriate and pretty.

Aroma: Neat, it smells delicious; honey, pear, traces of anise and wormwood way in the back. It seemed more liqueur-like than absinthe to me. As water was added, it grew less and less sweet and fruity, becoming a bit medicinal. Still, it is a quality aroma, just not one I personally equate with absinthe. For this reason, I gave it a 3.

Flavor: I struggle here, as it is not bad tasting. It is in fact quite well-crafted, it simply isn't very much like absinthe to me. The medicinal edge comes from a menthol element that reminds me a bit of cough drops...tasty ones however. Still this threw me a bit. The trad elements of absinthe were harder to detect at the higher dilutions, where I found this more drinkable.

Finish: Quite a nice finish. Gently bitter, layered elements, a nice build and decay. Perhaps the highlight of this absinthe for me.

Overall: The aroma, flavor and finish work well together and meld nicely. It is certainly a well-crafted drink. For me however, it is too far off the track of what I enjoy in absinthe profiles. Some however, may really like this, perhaps due to the mead element.

Certainly a different take on absinthe

Sampled at 3:1, 4:1 and 4.5:1, where I found it most drinkable. No sugar.

Color: A very faint yellow hue. It is almost clear, and looks natural.

Louche: It develops quite quickly, and is fairly thick. At 4.5:1 however, it looked appropriate and pretty.

Aroma: Neat, it smells delicious; honey, pear, traces of anise and wormwood way in the back. It seemed more liqueur-like than absinthe to me. As water was added, it grew less and less sweet and fruity, becoming a bit medicinal. Still, it is a quality aroma, just not one I personally equate with absinthe. For this reason, I gave it a 3.

Flavor: I struggle here, as it is not bad tasting. It is in fact quite well-crafted, it simply isn't very much like absinthe to me. The medicinal edge comes from a menthol element that reminds me a bit of cough drops...tasty ones however. Still this threw me a bit. The trad elements of absinthe were harder to detect at the higher dilutions, where I found this more drinkable.

Finish: Quite a nice finish. Gently bitter, layered elements, a nice build and decay. Perhaps the highlight of this absinthe for me.

Overall: The aroma, flavor and finish work well together and meld nicely. It is certainly a well-crafted drink. For me however, it is too far off the track of what I enjoy in absinthe profiles. Some however, may really like this, perhaps due to the mead element.